The Rainbow Color Concept in relation to Mental Wellness

Imagine walking along the street on a heavy, rainy day with your shoes almost soaked in water and then a couple of minutes, the weather just starts to get better and brighter. When you look up, you see a beautiful rainbow. If that does not make you smile or happy, then I don't know what else does.

"The greater your storm, the brighter your rainbow." I have been carrying this motto with me everywhere I go since 6th grade. It's one of the short quotes I've read from a school pamphlet. It remains to be a constant reminder for me that after the difficult trials in life, there's going to be something beautifully invigorating in store for me.

There are 3 natural Phenomena that I consider breathtakingly wonderful. The Sun Dog, which can be seen as a halo where 2 beams of light are on both sides of the sun, a Lunar Eclipse and lastly, a Rainbow. The latter is my favorite, not just because it's a more frequent occurrence than the other two but because it has a special symbolical meaning to me.

A beautiful rainbow shot

credits to Pinterest: https://pin.it/1r1TNrm

what a Sun Dog looks like

credits to Pinterest: https://pin.it/3ir4Ox5

Personally, a rainbow signifies hope, beauty and diversity. In German/Deutsch, it's called "Regenbogen". I can't exactly recall how many rainbows I've already witnessed all throughout my 30-something years of existence. Oh my God, did I just mention my age?!! lol! Ok, forget it, reality indeed bites. (".)

When we see a rainbow, we sometimes curiously check if its spectrum of colors is as follows: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo and Purple. Now that you've read the last color, I can see your reaction. I got you there, didn't I? LOL. Yes, Violet is the correct answer and the last color of the rainbow. It's what our primary school teacher taught us after all, right?

So I thought of creating The Rainbow Color Concept in relation to Mental Wellness. I thought that it might be a lot easier to recall these strategies through assigning each letter something to stand for and arrange it exactly as its original acronym sequence "ROYGBIV".

These are what I came up with:

Reprogram your mind.

The mind is very powerful. It's the main commander of the body. Therefore, your thoughts can either contribute to your success or failure. If you always focus on what you CAN'T rather than what you CAN, there are higher chances that you'd really fail on certain tasks that you're about, need or intend to do.

On the other hand, trying to avoid negative mind chatter is not as easy as everyone thinks it is, most especially when you are chronically depressed or anxious where your judgment towards circumstances is clouded by self-doubt.

But why don't you try changing your mental equation if not abruptly then maybe gradually from Negative Thoughts + Endless Negative Rumination = Self-conceived Problem to Negative Thoughts + Small, Gradual Shifts of Positively Helpful Distractions (like exercise, journaling your feelings, thinking about others who are in a much worse condition to cultivate a feeling of gratitude) = Possible Problem Resolution.

Sorry, that was quite long. Please reread the equation I formulated for more chances of absorption. lol! Reflect on it thereafter because I want you to get the best out of everything I pour my heart and mind into which refers obviously to this article, lol! I even underlined it for you...and me, if I happen to encounter another crisis. lol!

Remember what the French Philosopher, René Descartes said? "Cogito, ergo sum" which translates to "I think, therefore I am."

Organize your living space.

I've always been a disorganized person. It's how I function. But ever since I had my own space, I've learned how to gradually organize my stuff. I mean, does anyone living alone have a choice? lol! It's actually common knowledge that there's less mental load if everything is in order. When I tried it myself, I felt how true that is. I felt more drawn to my bed when I go home from work if my room is clean, fragrant and above all, organized. That means I feel more relaxed and calm. Being more organized really reduced my anxiety, improved my concentration and quality of sleep.

You do you.

This sounds a little egoistic for some because it centers on the thought that you do what you want or what you think is right. But either way, may it be good or bad, people would always have something to say at the end of the day. So live your life, be yourself and do what sparks joy for you. Nuff said.

Go explore.

This does not only constitute the places you want to travel to but also the great things that you still want to experience in life. In his book, "How to be Comfortable with being Uncomfortable", the amazing British author, Ben Aldridge wrote about 43 Weird and Wonderful Ways which he did to build a strong, resilient mindset. I highly recommend this book since it's easy and fun to read. I feel grateful for having been given the opportunity not only to read his book but also to have had an online Q & A with him, along with my other awesome online book club friends.

It's such a liberating experience to just go and do the things that you're afraid of trying or you're totally uncomfortable doing. Traveling alone to places while meeting strangers along the way telling me their beautiful travel stories has been one of the greatest and most self-fulfilling experiences I've ever had which contributed to my mental growth and character enhancement. It gave me boundless perspectives about life.

Be open to change.

Someone who has a fixed mindset and is always stuck in his narrow-mindedness will find it a little harder to deal with sudden negative shifts of events than someone who just lets go and adapts to change.

Change, as we all know, is the only permanent thing in this world. When we are open to change, we open ourselves to more possibilities and opportunities. It also increases our chance of meeting new people since we are open to having a new environment. However, our brain does not always work that way. It also finds it hard to deal with change since it's something it's not familiar with. Thus, embracing change despite doing it scared, makes us grow in many aspects of life.

Invest in yourself.

Sounds cliché, doesn't it? But yeah, it does the trick. Investing in yourself doesn't have to mean spending way too much money to buy material things to be happy.

It means wanting to become better, most probably much better than your old self. It's wanting to become better financially, emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally.

Learning to manage your finances and savings responsibly will certainly benefit you financially. Meditating and sparing time to pray fervently to the Almighty give additional profit to your spiritual bank. Exercising regularly will make your muscles lean and strong which leads to having a greater feeling and a better mental picture of yourself. Reading reduces stress and the risk of developing Alzheimer's. Furthermore, it also improves your language and communication skills as well as the power of your brain.

Vent.

It's just a 4 letter word but its positive effect to our body is underrated. Have you noticed how much lighter you feel after having vented about what you're stressing about? Well, I'm not implying that you always have to do it. Like everything we do, it also has to be done in moderation. When I can't hold myself together anymore, I vent to a few of my trusted friends/ loved ones. No man is an island, so no matter how strong you are, there'd really come a time when you need to let it all out to someone who has the time, energy and understanding towards what you're going through. Cry if you need to. For me, crying is NOT a weakness. It's an expression of strength for we submit ourselves to the fact that we too, as human beings, are vulnerable.

There you have it. ROYGBIV. Easy to recall, ain't it? Let me end this article through sharing to you a quote from the American poet, John Vance Cheney. "The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears." Stay sane y'all! :)